Clip-on label dispenser



Aug. 5, 1969 B. C. KOENITZER CLIP-0N LABEL DISPENSER Fiied Oct. 24. 1966INVENTOR BURTON C. KOENITZER swam W AT TORNEY 3,459,623 CLIP-ON LABELDISPENSER Burton C. Koenitzer, Wauwatosa, Wis., assignor to W. H. BradyCo., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Oct. 24, 1966,Ser. No. 589,048 Int. Cl. B650 9/18 US. Cl. 156584 Claims The presentinvention relates to a clip mounted label dispenser for removingadhesive labels from a liner, and more specifically the inventionresides in the combination of a mounting clip which supports a strippingedge, and a liner guide member shaped to fit over the stripping edge sothat a liner bearing adhesive labels on it may be pulled between theliner guide and the stripping edge to separate the labels from theliner.

Adhesive labels of the sort that may be used on filing folders, ormailing envelopes are frequently packaged by adhering a row of them on acontinuous strip of release coated, liner material. As the labels are tobe used, the secretary or clerk pulls the labels from the linermanually. The need to remove the labels from the liner can be, at least,a nuisance, and where labels such as these are used in large numbers, itcan get to be a costly waste of man hours. On the other hand, suchlabels are quite inexpensive and they are rarely used in the vastquantity necessary to justify the purchase of expensive mechanicaldevices for removing them.

The present invention provides a very inexpensive device that can bemade from two, stamped, sheet metal members, and that will convenientlyand efiiciently strip such labels from their liner sheets. Moreover, thepresent invention is designed to clamp over a divider, or a wall of adesk drawer, or a side of a box, so that it can be conveniently locatedat the receptacle where the labels are stored, and it does not clutterup desk top or table top surfaces, either when it is in use, or when itis idle.

Accordingly, the salient objects and advantages of the present inventionmay be summarized as follows:

To provide an efficient and convenient means for dispensing adhesivelabels from a liner strip.

To provide an inexpensive device for stripping adhesive labels from aliner strip.

To provide an effective device for easily stripping ad hesive labelsfrom a liner strip, which device can be simply mounted on a desk drawer,or other storage receptacle for the labels so that it does not clutterwork surfaces either when it is used, or when it is idle.

In the portion of this specification that follow and that precedes theclaims, there appears a detailed written description of the invention,and of the manner and process of making and using it in such full,clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in theart to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, tomake and use the same. The following description also sets forth in onepreferred embodiment the best mode presently contemplated by theinventor for carrying out this invention. However, the detaileddescription which precedes the claims is not intended as a measure ofthe extent of the invention, but, on the contrary, the subject matterwhich the inventor regards as the invention is particularly pointed outand distinctly claimed in the claims which appear in the conclusion ofthis specification, after the description of the preferred embodiment.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the preferred embodiment of theinvention,

FIG. 2 is a side view in section taken along line 22 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in ted States atcntice FIG. 1 illustrating the passage of a liner strip with labels throughthe dispenser of this embodiment,

FIG. 4 is a view in section of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 takenalong the line 44 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is another view in section of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 6 is an isomeric view of the preferred embodiment of the inventionillustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the dispenser 1 of the presentinvention is mounted on a supporting member 2, which may be a divider ina desk drawer, a wall of the desk drawer, a side of a box, or some othersuch vertical structure. The dispenser 1 is secured to the supportingmember 2 by a mounting clip 3 which is made up of a single piece ofstamped sheet metal formed so that it has a pair of spaced apartclamping wings 4 and 5 that are joined together at their top ends by ahorizontal portion which serves as a liner support 6. The clamping wings4 and 5 are resilient and biased toward one another so as to grasp thesupporting member 2 securely between them, and the front clamping wing 4has a recessed crease 7 in its bottom end and a flaring lip 8 along itsbottom end to facilitate its mounting on the supporting member 2. Thecorner formed at the top of the front clamping wing 4 where the linersupport 6 and the clamping wing 4 meet serves as a stripping edge 9.

A liner guide 10 is stamped from a second piece of sheet metal andshaped to conform about the stripping edge 9. Hence, the liner guide 10is an elongated strip of sheet metal having an L-shaped cross sectionand fitting over the liner support 6, the stripping edge 9, the frontclamping wing 4 adjacent to the stripping edge 9. The liner guide 10also has a hinge leaf 11 which extends over one corner of the rearclamping wing 5 adjacent to the liner support 6, and it has a latchingleaf 12 which extends over the opposite corner of the top end of therear clamping wing 5 adjacent to the liner support 6. The latching leaf12 is biased inwardly to engage the rear clamping wing 5 and its lowerend is flared outwardly so that it may be readily slipped over theclamping wing 5. A hinge pin 13 with its ends riveted is mounted inaligned holes which respectively pass through the hinge leaf 11, theback clamping wing 5, the front clamping wing 4 and the verticalextension 14 of the liner guide 10 adjacent to the front clamping wing4. At the other end of the vertical extension 14 of the liner guide 10 alatching detent 15 is formed opposite to the latching leaf 12 to pressinto a latching hole 16 drilled in the front clamping wing 4.

Aligned with the latching detent 15 and in the horizontal extension 17of the liner guide 10 parallel with the liner support 6 is a spacingdetent 18 which rests on the liner support 6 when the liner guide 10 isin its lower position about the stripping edge 9. An ejection slot 19 iscut in the liner guide 10 opposite to and aligned with the strippingedge 9 and extending most of the length of the liner guide 10. A handle20 is stamped out of the vertical extension 14 of the liner guide 10 toproject forwardly therefrom, and flared lips 21 and 22 are formed on theopposite edges of the vertical extension 14 and the horizontal extension17 of the liner guide 10.

To use the dispenser 1 shown in the drawing, the mounting clip 3 isslipped over a suitable vertical support member 2, and the liner guide10 is pivoted upwardly around the hinge pin 13. Then, a liner 23 havinglabels 24 on it is laid over the liner support 6, and the liner guide 10is pivoted downwardly about the hinge pin 13 until it latches in itsoperating position when the latching detent 15 finds the latching hole16. Then an end 25 of the liner 23 extending below the verticalextension 14 is grasped and pulled, drawing the liner 23 with labels 24on it, through the space between the horizontal extension 17 of theliner guide and the liner support 6, and through the space between thevertical extension 14 of the liner guide 10 and the front clamping wing4. When the liner 23 reaches the stripping edge 9 and passes over itunder the vertical extension 14 of the liner guide 10, the stifferlabels 24 separate from the release coated liner 23 and are ejectedoutwardly through the ejection slot 19, where they are presented free ofthe liner and ready for application.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description, that the presentinvention provides a unique, convenient, very inexpensive but extremelyhelpful device for users of adhesive labels. It may be permanentlymounted, or easily mounted and dismounted whenever needed. It is ruggedand almost incredibly simple to use. However, it will also be apparentto anyone skilled in the art that many variations can be made in theembodiment shown and many other embodiments devised, which, though theydepart from the embodiment shown, nevertheless employ the inventiondescribed. Therefore, the invention is not limited to that embodiment,but is rather set forth in the claims that follow.

I claim:

1. A clip mounted label dispenser for removing adhesive labels from aliner comprising the combination of a mounting clip having a pair ofspaced apart clamping wings arranged side by side and connected togetherat one end to receive a supporting member between them;

a stripping edge supported by said mounting clip and shaped to support aliner passing over it and to cause adhesive labels on said liner toseparate from said liner as said liner moves over it;

and a liner guide shaped to fit over said stripping edge and said linerstrip over said stripping edge to force said liner to follow closelyover said stripping edge and having a label ejection slot aligned withsaid stripping edge to permit said labels to eject from said strippingedge as said labels separate from said liner.

2. A clip mounted label dispenser as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidclamping wings are resilient members biased toward each other to gripsaid supporting member between them.

3. A clip mounted label dispenser as set forth in claim 2 wherein aliner support member, which joins and is integral with said clampingwings at adjacent top ends of said clamping wings, connecting saidclamping wings together;

and said stripping edge is formed by a corner Where said liner supportmember joins one of said clamping wings.

4. A clip mounted label dispenser as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidliner guide is hinged at one end to said mounting clip, has latchingmeans at another end to secure it over said stripping edge, and has aspacer to retain it in spaced relationship to said stripping edge topermit said liner and labels to move easily between it and saidstripping edge.

5. A clip mounted label dispenser as set forth in claim 3 wherein saidliner guide is a stamped metal strip having an L shaped cross section toconform to said stripping edge and to said liner support and said one ofsaid clamping wings adjacent to said stripping edge;

said liner guide also has a hinge leaf at one end passing over a portionof the other of said clamping wings adjacent to said liner supportmember, and has a latching leaf at its other end passing over andresiliently engaging a portion of said other of said clamping wings;

a hinge pin is mounted through aligned holes in said liner guide, saidpair of clamping wings and said hinge leaf;

and a latching detent is formed in said liner guide opposite saidlatching leaf to engage a hole formed in said one of said clamping wingswhen said liner guide is in place over said stripping edge.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,373,092 4/1945 Avery 156-3442,754,994 7/1956 Cole 156344 3,044,535 7/ 1962 Krueger 156-584 DOUGLASJ. DRUMMOND, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2.21-73

1. A CLIP MOUNTED LABEL DISPENSER FOR REMOVING ADHESIVE LABELS FROM ALINER COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF A MOUNTING CLIP HAVING A PAIR OFSPACED APART CLAMPING WINGS ARRANGED SIDE BY SIDE AND CONNECTED TOGETHERAT ONE END TO RECEIVE A SUPPORTING MEMBER BETWEEN THEM; A STRIPPING EDGESUPPORTED BY SAID MOUNTING CLIP AND SHAPED TO SUPPORT A LINER PASSINGOVER IT AND TO CAUSE ADHESIVE LABELS ON SAID LINER TO SEPARATE FROM SAIDLINER AS SAID LINER MOVES OVER IT; AND A LINER GUIDE SHAPED TO FIT OVERSAID STRIPPING EDGE AND SAID LINER STRIP OVER SAID STRIPPING EDGE TOFORCE SAID LINER TO FOLLOW CLOSELY OVER SAID STRIPPING EDGE AND HAVING ALABEL EJECTION SLOT ALIGNED WITH SAID STRIPPING EDGE TO PERMIT SAIDLABELS TO EJECT FROM SAID STRIPPING EDGE AS SAID LABELS SEPARATE FROMSAID LINER.